This week, we will do a deep dive into the brilliant work of the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS). IACS is an independent neuroscience lab located in Santa Monica, CA that has been doing research as a 501c3 research laboratory using experiential technology to promote human flourishing, by using immersive, experiential technology, neuromodulation, neurofeedback, and altered states to study consciousness. Specifically, their aim is to precisely capture, model, and provide an at-will instantiation of discrete states of consciousness that beget positive behavioral outcomes.

Convener:
Jim Garrison, President of Ubiquity University

Moderator:
Carson Kelly
Carson is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in technology start-up management, Enterprise Software Sales, Nonprofit Governance, Civic Engagement, Product Development and Positioning, Business Planning, and Strategy. Carson lives at the intersection of product and organizational culture interventions that are scientifically validated. He believes care-based cultures are not "soft" but the basis for expansive ideation and deep human flourishing. This results in innovation around product development and operational excellence, which can be validated through new ROI models. Carson is a firm believer that there are business models that align human and environmental benefits with venture-scale business models. The models that do this embrace our neurobiology, and are true expressions of human brilliance.

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June 3rd, 2024
Day 1 Introduction to the Lab, and review of the Emulating Entheogens

We will have an overview discussion of the Lab and its general approach, and will also deep a dive into the research efforts for the Emulating Entheogens project, which is an overview of the conduction of a series of basic research studies aimed at developing a multisensory intervention that approximates the subjective/neural states and deep changes in prosocial belief and behavior associated with entheogenic, non-ordinary experience.

Panelists: 

Dr. Leonardo Christov-Moore| Senior Scientist, IACS
Is an experiential neuroscientist and theorist with over 15 years of experience combining multimodal neuroimaging and neuromodulation; multivariate analysis; complex systems theory; and human and artificial empirical paradigms to probe topics like : prosocial and sociopathic behavior in living and artificial systems, multiscale trust, transformative experience, psychedelic therapy, belief change, the mind-body relationship, compassionate business practices, and parameterized human flourishing, using a scientifically rigorous, iterative approach.

Ninette Simonian | Lab Manager, IACS

Ninette is the Lab Manager and Junior Research Scientist at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS)!With a B.Sc. in Cognitive Science from UCLA in 2021. She has conducted over 150 low-intensity focused ultrasound brain stimulations, 400+ EEG and peripheral outfitting sessions, and administered 500+ behavioral assessments. Ninette is aspiring to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and aims to become a Clinical Neuropsychologist specializing in cognitive decline and memory disorders. Her ultimate goal is to unlock the brain's potential and develop effective therapies for cognitive and memory enhancement.

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June 4th, 2024
Day 2 Toward a Multiscale Account of Trust

For this episode, we will review the IACS paper, Toward a Multiscale Account of Trust with authors Dr. Leonardo Christov-Moore and Dr. Alex Jinich-Diamant. From the paper’s abstract “Trust is necessary for the survival of most living beings. Accounts of trust are largely confined to the individual, human scale, limiting our ability to model trust as a coordinating mechanism of the natural world. We outline an account of trust applicable to human and non-human agents, at individual and collective scales. It defines trust as a wager on the predictability, compatibility and benevolence of other agents, arising to mitigate allostatic uncertainties inherent in coordination.”

We will also discuss Empathic AI: “In close collaboration with other groups dedicated to human-centered AI, we will focus on determining the extent to which human-mimetic design may allow for the development of effective and robustly beneficial artificial intelligences.”

Panelists: 

Dr. Leonardo Christov-Moore| Senior Scientist - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Is an experiential neuroscientist and theorist with over 15 years of experience combining multimodal neuroimaging and neuromodulation; multivariate analysis; complex systems theory; and human and artificial empirical paradigms to probe topics like : prosocial and sociopathic behavior in living and artificial systems, multiscale trust, transformative experience, psychedelic therapy, belief change, the mind-body relationship, compassionate business practices, and parameterized human flourishing, using a scientifically rigorous, iterative approach.

Dr. Adam Safron | Research Consultant - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Adam is a systems neuroscientist with diverse research experience. His work focuses on multi-scale perspectives of the brain, ranging from cellular to computational levels. During his postdoc and PhD, he used neuroimaging methods to study emotion, behavioral drives, and social cognition. In his current academic collaborations, he is using neural connectomic approaches to investigate ketamine as a novel therapeutic for depression, and exploring computational models of behavior and brain function. He has also worked as a consultant in the pharmaceutical and life science industries, and as a researcher in a startup providing personalized medicine services to clients with difficult-to-treat medical conditions.

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June 5th, 2024
Day 3 Aesthetic Chills and Empathic AI

On Day 3 we will talk to several of the primary researchers around two topics: Aesthetic Chills and Empathic AI.

Aesthetic Chills - “This study will investigate what causes chills, what they mean for emotions and social behavior, and how technologies could be designed to boost positive reactions. We are interested in understanding a feeling called "chills" - when you get goosebumps or shivers down your spine in response to something positive or meaningful.”

Panelists: 

Dr. Felix Schoeller | Senior Scientist - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Felix is a results-driven entrepreneur and scientist passionate about building life-changing innovations. He founded 3 startups in neurotech, digital therapeutics, and AI. He secured $6M+ in grants, published 40+ papers, and pioneered new affective computing datasets and devices. He is a former MIT Media Lab member, CRI Fellow, and Entrepreneur First. He has been featured in Vice, BBC, Rolling Stones, and Ars Electronica. His mission is to elucidate the mind and drive progress through creativity.

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June 6th, 2024
Day 4  The Qualia Compass and the Neuromodulatory Induction of Meditative States

On Day 4 we will talk with Dr. Reggente, the principal investigator for IACS on his concept of the Qualia Compass.

The Neuromodulatory Induction of Meditative States research is aimed at modeling and reinstating the neurocognitive underpinnings supporting gradations in the meditative experience (i.e., different neural representations for deep vs. shallow periods of meditation). One possible mechanism by which we may facilitate the instantiation of deep meditative states may be the direct neuromodulation of key brain structures and circuits during meditation. We seek to validate this notion with the use of focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation applied to four different regions in the brain whose activity has been implicated in meditation.

Panelists: 

Dr. Nicco Reggente | Principal Investigator - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Nicco Reggente, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and co-founder of the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies where he currently serves as Principal Investigator. The overarching theme of his research is the development of neuroimaging-informed, personalized neurotechnology to help individuals achieve desired outcomes. Nicco’s research has spanned the domains of memory, consciousness, and psychiatric disorders. His current focus is on leveraging immersive technology to induce maximally beneficial qualia (e.g. meditative, entheogenic states) that can be captured and re-instantiated via neurofeedback.

Dr. Josh Cain | Senior Scientist - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies

Josh’s current focus is investigating ways to use direct human brain stimulation to induce deep meditation, one arm of the collective work toward understanding the mystery of consciousness. By decoding and then inducing particular states of consciousness with clear clinical and/or societal benefits, we hope to produce breakthroughs with near-term real-world impacts. We are actively forming relationships with universities and private companies to expand this work and ensure our scientific findings inform future products, clinical treatment, etc.

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June 7th, 2024
Day 5 The importance of the Independent Science Lab & future research projects

For the final day of the series, we will explore the importance of the independent research group and why it matters for a flourishing society.

Additionally, we will talk about future research projects, including one on the Pineal Gland.

Panelists: 

Dr. Nicco Reggente | Principal Investigator - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Nicco Reggente, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and co-founder of the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies where he currently serves as Principal Investigator. The overarching theme of his research is the development of neuroimaging-informed, personalized neurotechnology to help individuals achieve desired outcomes. Nicco’s research has spanned the domains of memory, consciousness, and psychiatric disorders. His current focus is on leveraging immersive technology to induce maximally beneficial qualia (e.g. meditative, entheogenic states) that can be captured and re-instantiated via neurofeedback.

Dr. Leonardo Christov-Moore| Senior Scientist - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Is an experiential neuroscientist and theorist with over 15 years of experience combining multimodal neuroimaging and neuromodulation; multivariate analysis; complex systems theory; and human and artificial empirical paradigms to probe topics like : prosocial and sociopathic behavior in living and artificial systems, multiscale trust, transformative experience, psychedelic therapy, belief change, the mind-body relationship, compassionate business practices, and parameterized human flourishing, using a scientifically rigorous, iterative approach.

Dr. Felix Schoeller | Senior Scientist - Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies
Felix is a results-driven entrepreneur and scientist passionate about building life-changing innovations. He founded 3 startups in neurotech, digital therapeutics, and AI. He secured $6M+ in grants, published 40+ papers, and pioneered new affective computing datasets and devices. He is a former MIT Media Lab member, CRI Fellow, and Entrepreneur First. He has been featured in Vice, BBC, Rolling Stones, and Ars Electronica. His mission is to elucidate the mind and drive progress through creativity.